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Modem "A. J. 11105.- Apple Slicerl Patented Ian. 4; 1881.

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MFETERS. FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASVHKNGTDN. D c.

- 4 Sheets-Sheet a. A. J. RICE.

r Apple Slicer. No. 236,178. Patented Jan. 4,1881. 7

. 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

A. J1 RICE. Apple Slicer.

(Model) No. 236,178.. Patehted 'la'n. 4,18 1;

NPETEES. PHOTWLIYIIOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D. C,

a NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT J. RICE, OF SODUS, NEW YORK.

APPLE-SLICER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,178, dated January4, 1881.

Application filed September 13, 1880. (Model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT J. RICE, of Sodas, in the county of Wayne andState of New York, have invented an Improved Apple- Slicer, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the annexeddrawings, in which- 7 Figure l is a side elevation of my improvedapple-slicer. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 8 is a centrallongitudinal section on the line :20 m, Fig. 2, showing the parts abovethat line, and on the line y 3 Fig. 4, showing the parts to the right ofthat line. Fig. 4is a vertical section on the line 2 2, Fig. 3. Fig. 5is a plan view of a modified form of my improved apple-slicer. Fig. 6 isa side elevation of the same. Figs. 7 and 8 are side views of theknives.

My improved apple-slicer is represented in the'accompanying drawings, inwhich A is the frame of the machine; B B, 850., the knives,

and O the rotating fingers. E is a suitable supporting-table.

The frame of my improved apple-slicer consists of two side pieces, AA,connected together at each end by curved end pieces, F F. The sideframes, A A, are clamped together against the end pieces by bolts 0. a,passing through suitable projecting lugs on the sides. The curved endpieces are provided with suitable ribs or lugs, 11 b I) b, Fig. 2,against which the side frames are held by the bolts a a. The side framesare provided with longitudinal ribs or projections c c c '0, for thepurpose of affording support to the machine upon the table E. Thelongitudinal ribs 0 c are double on each side of the machine, for thepurpose of making the machine reversible, so that either end of theknives B may be used. An opening is made through the table E, ofsufficient size to receive those portions of the machine which projectbelow the ribs 0 0 when the machine is used either side up. The ribs 0care provided with one or more screw-holes, for the purpose of receivingthe screws by which the machine is attached to the table.

The knives B B are made of a single piece of steel, perforated orslotted at the center to permit the shaft d of the rotating fingers topass through them, and fastened at each end to the curved end pieces, F.The end pieces the knife taut.

are cast with suitable slots for the reception of the knives, and theknives are fastened in position by taper pins 't' i, passing throughthem outside the endpieces, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. At theright-hand end of Figs. 1 and 2 the knives are shown as fastened inplace by a bar, 0, which passes through an opening made for it in theirouter ends, and is provided with a setscrew, f, which bears against theoutside of the end piece and strains may be used at both ends of theknife, if preferred. The knives B are placed at suitable distancesapart, so as to dividethe apples into slices of the desired thickness.

Through the center of the side frames. A

'A, passes the shaft 61, to which the rotating fingers O are attached.The rotating fingers are secured on the shaft by making grooves orrecesses in'the hole through which the shaft passes, and upsetting aportion of the shaft into the said grooves by means of 1 a suitablepunch. Any other convenient means of attaching the rotating fingers tothe shaft may be employed. The fingers are placed on the shaft d,between the knives B B, so that when the shaft is rotated, as indicatedby the arrows in the various figures, the fingers will pass between theknives.

In the operation of the machine, the apples to be sliced are placedsuccessively between the knives and the rotating fingers, as indicatedby the dotted circles in the various drawings, and they are then forced,by the rotation of the fingers 0, through between the knives, by whichthey are divided into slices. In order to facilitate the cuttingoperation the knives are arranged as shown in the Various drawings, andparticularly in Fig. 4, so that the slices are not all outsimultaneously, but are cut successively from the outside of the apple.Thus, in'Fig. 4, if the apple be The bars 6 and set-screws f i largeenough to fill the entire space between This diagonal or inclinedarrangement of the knives also assists in holding the apple in properposition during the cutting operation, and it facilitates the cutting,both by avoiding the necessity of making all the cuts at one time and byallowing ample space for the slices to expand as they are separated bythe knives.

One of the rotating fingers near the center may be provided with asharpened projection, h, on each side thereof, which revolves with thefinger, and the purpose of which is to re ceive the apple and carry itinto the knives. The projection h is preferably made of thin metal,sharpened on each of its sides, and in the operation of the machine theoperator places the apple upon the projection, and then, by rotating thefingers by means of the bandle D, effects the division of the apple intoslices.

Instead of arranging the rotating fingers parallel with each other, theymay be arranged so as to present a concave surface to the apple.

The knives B are sharpened on their opposite edges on either side of thecentral shaft, d, so that the cutting-edges are always presented towardthe rotating fingers. The ob.- jeot of this arrangement is, that whenthe knives become worn on one end of the machine, the machine may beturned over and the other end of the machine used without any change ofits parts.

In order to avoid friction between theshaft and the knives, the knife Bis made with a slot at its center, as shown in 8. result may beaccomplished by arranging the knives so that they pass immediately aboveor below the shaft (1.

The form of the knife shown in Fig. 7, which has an offset passingaround the shaft (1, may be used for the purpose of facilitatingchanges.

I prefer to give the rotating fingers a more or less curved form, forthe purpose of preventing the tendency of the apple to crowd away fromthe shaft. It will be observed that in the operation of my machine it isnot necessary to make a complete rotation of the fingers G, and this isparticularly the case when the machine is arranged to be operated by atreadle, in which case the downward motion of the treadle slices theapple, and a spring or weight returns the fingers to their formerposition, in which the apples areintroduced into the machine. Instead oftheir being made double or S-shaped, the fingers may project from oneside of the shaft only.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have represented a modification of my machine adaptedto be driven by power. The construction and arrangement of the fingers,the knives, and the supportingframe is the same as that of one end ofthe machine already given. The side frames of this modification ofmyinvention are extended The same to the other side of the shaft fromthe knives, and support a shaft, G, which is driven from the fingenshaftby means of gears Zm n or belts. The shaft Gr supports a thin circularplate, H, provided on its periphery with sharpened projections 0 0. Inthe operation of this form of machine the apples, being placed on theprojections 0, are carried by the rotation of the plate II into aposition between the knives and the rotating fingers, from which theyare carried by the fingers through the knives. The motion of the plate His slow, so that no practical difficulty is found in placing the appleson the projections 0.

My improved machine possesses many advantages over any apple-slicerheretofore constructed, as by its means I am enabled to make from coredapples annular slices of uniform thickness with great rapidity, withoutloss from broken slices, and with a minimum amount of labor. ()wing tothe peculiar construction of the machine, the knives are always understrain, and can therefore be used when worn very thin.

It is obvious that a star-wheel may be substituted for the disk H.

It is also obvious that the form of machine represented in Figs. 1 and2may be arranged to be driven by power, either with or without therotating disk H, which, if used, may be placed between one of the knivesand one of the fingers, made narrow for the purpose of affording space.

I claim 1. In an apple-slicer, the combination, with a suitablesupporting-frame, of the spirallyarrangcd knives B B B B, reinovablyattached to the frame at each end and offset on one side of thefinger-shaft, and the rotating fingers G,substantially as and forthepurposes set forth.

2. In combination with the knives B and the rotary fingers 0, theprojection 71, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a suitable frame, of the shaft (I, rotatingfingers G,and the thin knives B B B, attached to the frame at one orboth ends by a suitable straining device, substantially as described.

.1. The herein -described reversible appleslicer, consisting of thesupporting-frame A, rotating fingers (J, and knives extending each wayfrom the center and sharpened on opposite edges, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination, with the rotating fingers O and knives B, of thesupporting-frame A, provided with ribs or lugs c c, for attachin g themachine to the table in reversed positions, substantially as described.

ALBERT J. RICE.

Witnesses:

W. O. BARKER, GEO. B. SELDEN.

